The present invention relates to drip edges for building roofs and the like, and in particular, to a pre-notched drip edge assembly and related method which is easy to install and improves alignment between the adjacent drip edge sections.
Drip rails or edges are well known in the building industry, and typically comprise L-shaped sheet metal strips which are installed along the bottom edge of a roof to prevent rainwater and/or snow melt from leaking under the shingles or other roofing media. Without such protection around the perimeter of the building roof, capillary action between the roofing material and the roof structure, as well as high winds and other environmental conditions, will result in moisture collecting on the building structure, which ultimately results in leaks and degradation of the integrity of the roof.
Most prior drip edge strips have a flat folded over nose which interconnects the top and bottom flanges, and protrudes outwardly to direct rainwater away from the associated building. An elongate strip of sheet metal or the like is first roll formed or otherwise formed to shape, and then cut off into a plurality of individual drip edge sections. During the cut off process, the nose portions of the drip edge sections are completely closed, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to quickly assemble and align the same along the edge of the building roof. Heretofore, the ends of the drip edge sections are nested within one another at each joint so as to ensure a continuous barrier along the building roof edge. This nesting assembly is relatively difficult when the noses of the drip edge sections are completely closed, and can lead to bending the drip edge sections out of shape, which can also cause misalignment between the adjacent drip edge sections. Accordingly, there exists the need for an improved drip edge assembly, which addresses these concerns in a cost effective manner.